Fuel and air diffuser burner



July 10, 1951 R. c. BRI'ERLY FUEL AND AIR DIFFUSER BURNER 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Dec. 19, 1947 IN VEN TOR. @ALPI-l C. B12/EPD flfflll ii', lIIIIIIIMIIIIII.'llIIIl!!! ATTO'Q/VEY July lo, 1951' R. c. BRIERLY 2,559,589

FUEL AND AIR DIFFUSER BURNER Filed Dec. 19, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 4

FIG. 3

1N V EN TOR.

A TTOQ/V Y Patented July 10, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT lOFFICE 2,559,589 I Y Y I i FUEL AND AIR DIFFUSER BURNER Ralph C. Brierly, Narberth, Pa. Application December 19, 1947, Serial No. 792,829

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as i amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) 4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in diifusers, and more particularly pertains to devices adapted to guide air and combustibles in fuel burners.

This application is a continuation-impart of application Serial No. 655,358, led March 18, 1946, now abandoned.

Modern fuel burners comprise three principal elements, an air register, through which air from the reroom, double front or other reservoir is passed to the furnace and controlled; an injector or atomizer from which fuel is emitted; and a diffuser, which controls the function of intermixing intimately air and fuel in juxtaposition to the fuel injector. The subject invention presents improvements in such diffusers, whereby a plurality of diverse substances can be passed through the diffuser simultaneously, and whereby similar substances either at the same or at different static pressures or velocities, temperatures, or states of aggregation can be employed.

Diiiusers or impellers employed in conventional fuel burners are constructed generally in the form of bladed frusto-conical sections, having flowerpetal-like blades that impart rotation to the entering air stream, thereby imparting rotation to the name and expanding said flame in the general shape of an inverted cone having its apex at the atomizer orifice. Such rotation of air causes the cone to expand to a greater height and base diameter than that of the cone formed by the ato-mized particles alone. This is a limiting characteristic, since a flame that converges to a point or needle, rather than a flame of increased crosssection with increased flame height, is often g desirable. Moreover, it is advantageous to provide means whereby the volume or velocity of air or fuel can be varied without changing the diffuser. That is, it is at times desirable to change the relative velocities of the air and fuel being introduced to the flame so that the shape of the flame can be altered to suit the requirements of particular combustion processes while using a single type of diffuser.

Although it is well known to use bladed frustoconical sections as diffusers in the registers of fuel burners, it has been found that such diflusers do not accomplish the objects hereinabove set forth, or, if some of them accomplish some of these objects incidentally or inadvertently, they do so with much less efficiency than that required.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a diffuser for guiding air and combustibles in a fuel burner, said diffuser being adapted to reduce flame-cone expansion, augment flame in- 2 tensity, and increase the speed of flame propagation.

Another object is to provide a diffuser of simple and durable construction wherewith compressed air can be introduced into a fuel burner, and fuels introduced therein through component elements of said diffuser.

A further object is to provide a diffuser adapted to create a flame cone diminished in diameter with travel from the atomizer of the fuel burner.

Still another object is to provide a diffuser that is operable as a supplemental fuel injector, being adapted to introduce oil, coal, gas or mixtures of these aggregants between or around the annular bands of said diffuser, either through spokes that retain said bands in spaced relation or through annular jackets positioned behind said bands.

Another object is to provide a diffuser that can direct streamsof air or fuel insuch a manner as to vary flame configuration and to eiectcylindrical, conical, inverted conical, spherical and similar ame shapes. p

A further object is to provide a dilfuser that permits the simultaneous .passage of fuels, air, combustion accelerators, combustion dampeners and other substances through adjacent annul-i of said diffuser.

Further objects and advantages of this invention, as well as its construction, arrangement and operation, will be apparent from the following description and claims in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which;

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary sectional elevation of a diffuser mounted on the headwof a fuel burner, showing a preferred embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is an end View of said diffuser;

Fig. 3 -is a plan `View of a modified form of diffuser; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary elevation of the diffuser shown in Fig. 3. y

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views. Y

The fuel burner is provided with an outer wall i3. Port I7 in said wall is provided to carry the diffuser hereinafter described.

Sleeve I9A is secured normal to radial collar spiders 2 l, extending therethrough, and said spiders 2| are fastenedrremovably to outer wall i3 by means of a plurality of bolts 23 and nuts 25. Said sleeve I9 carries a bolt-21 positioned exterior the outer Wall and adapted to secure the multi-annular sleeve hereinafter described.

A multi-annular sleeve 29 carried slidably in sleeve I9 includes an inner conduit 3l, medial *is seated within ring 69.

fhydrogen peroxide, i ganese dioxide, or suitable combinations thereof. `Such constituents are lstatic pressures or velocities, temperatures, and

` aggregation conduit 33 and outer conduit 35, said conduits 3|, 33 and 35 being disposed eoncentrically. Medial conduit 33 is provided with a flared mouth 4| having an upstanding lip 43, the opposite end 45 being closed upon inner conduit 3| exterior oi wall I3. Fuel-supply conduit 41 communicates with conduit 33 proximate end 45. Outer conduit 35,Y which is carried slidably in sleeve |9, is provided with a flared mouth 49 having an upstanding lip 5|. The opposite end 59 of conduit 35 is closed upon medial conduit 33 exterior of wall I3, and fuel supply conduit 5| communicates with conduit 35 proximate said end 59.

Conduits 3|, 33 and 35, and their respective mouths, are secured in the desired spaced relation by means of a plurality of radially disposed support-bars or spreaders |53, said spreaders 53 being secured to the edges of said mouths and defining a shallow frusto-conicalffigure. Fuel is also supplied through conduit 65, disposed in conduit 3| and extending beyond the end 39 thereof, connected with fuel atomizer 61, which Said ring 69 is carried by thespreaders 63, and in turn mounts outward- 'ly flared annulus 1|.

' A'. plurality of annuli 13, 15, 11 and 19 of frustoconical shape are mounted on said spreaders, and

r'said upstanding lips, extending therebeyond to continue or tc subdivide the passageways defined by conduits 3|, 33 and 35. Said annuli converge combustibles therethrough.

f Inroperation, sleeve 29 is adjusted fore or aft to desired position, and secured in that position by means of bolt 21. A plurality of substances are then fed through conduits 65, 3|, 33 and 35 to atomizer B1 and the deflecting annuli, such substances being selected from the group including combustion constituents, generally being 'A fuels, accelerators, catalysts, dampeners and the like, and including specifically, but not limited to,

oil, gas, coal, compressed air, liquid air, steam,

nitrogen dioxide, and manintroduced at selected in selected states of aggregation. Forexample, hydrogen peroxide can be pumped through one conduit and passageway, a solution of potassium permanganate through another, pulverized coal or gas through a third and combustion of the formed conical or diverging flame supported by the'fuel-oil atomizer V|51. In this instance, each component being introduced at predetermined static pressure or velocity, temperature, and state of aggregation, the potassium permanganate del composes the hydrogen peroxide, which supplies oxygen for the combustion of the fuels, while the remaining water, in the form of steam, dilutes the gaseous products and prevents creation of a heat level exceeding the capacity of the furnace "material employed. Other suitable combinations of substances, and approriate static pressures or velocities, temperatures and states of A therefor, will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

A modified form of the invention, likewise adapted to feed a diversity of substances, at different static pressurespor velocities, temperatures, "and in different states of aggregation, simultaneously to the furnace through the annuli of a diffuser that is adjustable fore and aft in a register, whereby converging or diverging flame patterns of desired shape and intensity can be created, is shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

A plurality of concentric conduits form a trunk 83, said trunk being carried slidably for adjustment fore and aft in the exterior wall of a furnace by suitable means (not shown). Each conduit of said trunk feeds into one of a plurality of nested manifolds, which forms a multiple manifold 85. A multiplicity of conduits are fed from said manifold, with a plurality of said conduits arranged concentrically to form a branch 91, said branch including conduits fed from each of said nested manifolds, and branches 89, 9|, 93, 95 and so forth to any desired number of branches formed similarly. Thus, communication of combustion constituents is effected from the trunk 83, comprising a plurality of concentric tubes, through nested vmanifolds that form multiple manifold 85, and then through multiple branches 89, 9|, 93, 95 and so forth, each branch comprising a plurality of concentric tubes, each of the individual tubes in a branch being in communication with the corresponding tube in said trunk.

Each of said branches terminates in a frustoconical mouth 91 including a plurality of frustoconical annuli 9-9, upstanding lips [0| thereon, supporting-bars or spreaders |93 securing said mouths in spaced relation, and converging annuli |05 secured to said spreaders and lips to define, in combination with the conduits of each of said branches, a plurality of individual passageways, the construction of each branch being f is substantially the same as the operation of the preferred embodiment hereinabove described, except that higher flame concentration and more precise flame pattern is achieved.

Various modifications and changes can be made in the subject device without departing from the scope of the invention.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of 4the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

I claim:

1. A diffuser comprising a first conduit having an outwardly flared mouth, a rst frusto-co-nical annulus mounted on and diverging from said mouth, a second conduit having an outwardly flared mouth and an upstanding lip nesting said first conduit and said first annulus, a second frusto-conical annulus mounted on and converging from the peripheral edge of the lip of said second conduit, a third conduit having an outwardly flared mouth and an upstanding lip nesting said second conduit, and a third frustoconical annulus mounted on and converging from the peripheral edge of the lip of said third conduit nesting said second annulus.

2. A diffuser comprising a plurality of neste conduits each having an outwardly fia-red mouth, a first frusto-conical annulus mounted on and diverging from the mouth of the innermost of Said conduits, and a plurality of frusto-conical annuli mounted on and converging from the mouths of the other of said conduits, the minor diameters of said last-mentioned annuli being greater than the major diameter of said first annulus, the peripheral edges of said plurality of annuli defining a diverging frustum.

' 3. A difl'user comprising a plurality of nested conduits each having an outwardly ared mouth and an upstanding lip, a rst frusto-conical annulus mounted on and diver-ging from the mouth of the innermost of said conduits, a irst plurality of frusto-conical annuli mounted on and converging from the peripheral edges of said lips, a second plurality of frusto-conical annuli subdividing the passages defined by said first plurality of annuli, the minor diameters of said rst and second plurality of annuli being greater than the major diameter of said rst annulus, the peripheral edges of said rst and second plurality of annuli defining a diverging frustum. y' 4. A diffuser comprising a plurality of diffuser branches, each branch comprising a plurality of nested conduits each having an outwardly flared mouth and an upstanding lip, a rst frustoconical annulus mounted on and diverging from the mouth of the innermost of said conduits, a

5 of said first annulus, the peripheral edges of said plurality of annuli defining a diverging frustum, said branches being arranged to define a diverging shallow cone.

RALPH C. BRIERLY. l0

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

L UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,396,086 Anthony Nov. 8, 1921 1,400,657 Brodie Dec. 20, 1921 1,428,793 McGahan Sept. 12, 1922 20 1,706,316 Norton et al Mar. 19, 1929 1,754,603 Brown Apr. 15, 1930 1,991,894 Forney Feb. 19, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS 25 Number Country Date 298,080 Great Britain Aug. 29, 1929 plurality of frusto-conical annuli mounted on and converging from the peripheral edges of said lips, the minor diameters of said last-mentioned annuli being greater than the major diameter 

